Portable isolation roomette



Qct. 10,1967 M. s. SADOVE ETAL 3,345,996

PORTABLE ISOLATION ROOMETTE Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 Inventors Y a MAX S.'$ADOVE STEVE J. SKOWRONSKI Oct. 10,1967 M. s. SADOVE ETAL 3,345,996

' PORTABLE ISOLATION ROOMETTE Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 32 29 1 Inventors MAX 5' SA DOVE 37 STEVE J. 5KOWRON3KI United States Patent Office 3,345,995 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 3,345,996 PORTABLE ISOLATION ROOMETTE Max S. Sadove, Qak Park, and Steve J. Skowronski, Des

Plaines, IlL, assignors to Chemetron Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,839 3 Claims. (Cl. 135-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable isolation roomette provided with a pair of associated envelopes with a wall of one positioned between the envelopes as a common wall which includes a removable portion for movement between the envelopes. One of the envelopes also has an access opening for ingress, movement into the other envelope being accomplished through the removable portion of the common wall with a minimum of atmospheric changes.

This invention relates to a portable roomette and in particular to a portable therapy unit which can be used as an isolation roomette, a fog humidity room, or for administration of medicinal gases such as oxygen.

It is a feature of the invention to provide a portable unit which can be easily assembled and disassembled, is lightweight, safe, durable, convenient to use, relatively inexpensive to construct, which can isolate a patient from other patients, attendants and/or visitors in the same room or ward, which can accommodate a hospital bed and medical personnel, and which can be air conditioned and ventilated and the atmosphere controlled.

An embodiment for carrying out the invention includes a frame having four uprights to form its corners and structural members to interconnect the upper ends of the uprights, a first envelope having walls, a ceiling and a floor joined to seal off the inside from the outside of the first envelope, the envelope being composed of transparent plastic film material, the frame and envelope being sufficiently large to accommodate a hospital bed and to permit medical personnel to walk around inside the envelope, the envelope having an access door sufficiently large so that a hospital bed can be rolled into the envelope, a subframe appended to said frame, a second relatively small envelope, connectors for suspending the first and second envelopes within the frame and subframes, respectively, the first and second envelopes having a common Wall portion, the second envelope being large enough to accommodate an adult attendant, a door in a wall portion of the second envelope, a door in the common wall portion, each door being sealably connected to its respective first and second envelopes, and a mat on the floors of the first and second envelopes.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an isolation roomette constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing a frame and subframe of the isolation roomette shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the isolation roomette;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary broken away view showing in particular the manner in which an envelope of the isolation roomette is suspended within the frame;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view showing a lower end of one of the uprights of the frame and a suction cup;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along line 88 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 9 is a plan View showing a pair of mats and the uprights of the frame and subframe;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-40 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a portion of an envelope having a grommet.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings there is shown an isolation roomette generally indicated at 20. The isolation roomette 20 includes a frame 21 which is shown to include a main frame 22 and an appended subframe 23. As best shown in FIGURE 2, the main frame has six spaced apart uprights 24. Four of the uprights 24 form the corners of the frame 21 and the remaining two uprights 24 provide intermediate support. The subframe 23 has two spaced apart uprights 25. The uprights 24 are interconnected by structural members 26 and by connectors 27 which detachably secure the uprights 24 and the structural members 26 to each other. The upper ends of the uprights 25 and upper ends of two of the uprights 24 are interconnected by structural members 28 and by connectors 27.

The lower ends of each of the uprights 24 and 25 are provided with feet in the form of suction cups 29 which during use serve to prevent the isolation roomette from being accidently shifted. Each of the suction cups 29 are shown to be provided with three equally spaced projections 30, any two of which can be urged toward each other by the thumb and index finger of one hand to break the seal between the underside 31 of the suction cup 29 and the surface 32. The uprights 24 and 25 of the structural members 26 and 28 are preferably composed of lightweight material in the form of aluminum tubes. The uprights 24 and 25 and the structural members 26 and 28 are slidably received by their associated connectors 27 and are detachably connected by means of set screws 33 as best shown in FIGURE 4; thus the frame 21 can be easily assembled and disassembled. I

An envelope 34 is shown to have a ceiling 35, sides or walls 36, and a floor 37 sealably joined to each other to form a box-like chamber 38. The envelope 34 is large enough to accommodate a standard size hospital bed and an adult attendant. The envelope 34 is suspended from the structural members 26 by connectors 39 which can be opened and closed in the same way as conventional safety pins. The walls 36 are connected to the uprights 24 by connectors 39 and the floor 37 simply rests on the surface 32. Although the entire envelope 34 is constructed of transparent film material, at least the upper portion of V The envelopes 34 and 40 are separated by a common portion 42 of front wall 36 which forms a common wall between the chambers 38 and 41. The front end of the envelope 40 provides access to the chamber 41 by a suitable slide-type fastener for example a zipper 43 which extends vertically at the side and horizontally at the bottom of one wall of the envelope 40. Another suitable slide-type fastener for example a zipper having a movable part 44 extends completely around the front wall 36 of the envelope 34 along an upper horizontal portion 46, a vertical portion 47, a lower horizontal portion 48 and a vertical portion 49. The removable part of the front wall 36 inside the slide-type fastener includes the portion 42 and a portion 42 not enclosed by the envelope 40. When the movable part 44 of the slide-type fastener has been moved horizontally from end point 49' along portion 46 and then vertically downward along portion 47, and horizontally along part of the portion 48 at the marginal edge of the floor 37 the attendant can easily pass through th portion which serves as a doorway between chambers 33 and 41.

The front wall 36 is provided with spaced apart openings 56 at about the same elevation and another opening 51. An air conditioner 52 is connected by means of flexible tubes 53 to the openings 50. Conditioned air can pass through one of the tubes 53 and into chamber 38 and thereafter return through the other of the tubes 53 to the air conditioner 52. The air conditioner 52 is of any suitable type which will add moisture to and/ or cool air or other gaseous medium in the chamber 38. The chamber 38 is supplied with fresh air by means of a blower 54 and a flexible conduit 55 which opens into the chamber 33 through the opening 51 on the front wall 36 of the envelope 34. A filter 51 covers the opening 41 and serves to filter bacteria and dust from the ventilation air which passes into the chamber 33. The rear wall 36 has an opening 56. A suitable replaceable or reusable filter 56 covers the opening 56 and serves to filter bacteria and dust from the air which passes out of the chamber 38 that is ordinarily the source of contamination to hospital personnel and other patients. Thus it tends to diminish hospital air contamination.

The ceiling 35, the walls 36, and the floor 37 are formed by individual sheets or webs of transparent material 58 and 59 which are sealably joined as indicated at 60. For example, the sheets 58 and 59 can be of any convenient width, such as 24 inches.

The envelopes 34 and 40 are inversely folded as indicated at 61 in FIGURE 11. Adjacent each of the uprights 24 and 25 and each of the structural members 26 and 28 are inversely bent portions 61 are reinforced by plastic or other suitable material 62 which covers the inversely bent portions 61. Spaced apart grommets 63 pass through each of the portions 61 and 62 and the connectors 39 pass through the grommets 63 and pass around associated uprights 24 or 25, or structural members 26 or 28. A mat 65 covers substantially the entire floor 37 of the envelope 34, and a mat 66 covers substantially the entire floor of the envelope 40. The mats 65 and 66 as well as the feet 29 are preferably composed of a material which is resilient and electrically conductive, such .as conductive rubber. The mats 65 has a flap 67 which is hingedly connected by a piece of electrically conductive material 68. The mats 65 and 66, the frame 21, the air conditioner 52 and the blower 54 and the exhaust fan 54' are all electrically grounded as schematically indicated at 70. A junction box 69 is supplied with electrical energy through the lead 71. The electrical energy is supplied to the air conditioner 52 the blower 54 and the exhaust fan 54 by conductors (not shown) leading from the box 69.

As best shown in FIGURES l and 2, the lower ends of the uprights 24 and 25 are not connected to each other by any structural members so that the floors of the envelopes are unobstructed and a hospital bed can be easily rolled into and out of the envelope 34. When the zipper 44 is unzipped, a hospital bed 70 or the like can be rolled into the chamber which serevs as a doorway between the chambers 38 and 41. Once the hospital bed 70 is inside the chamber, the zipper 44 can be rezipped.

An inverted U-shaped access opening 71 can be provided in one or more of the walls 36. By moving a slide fastener such as a zipper along its inverted U-shaped path 72 a flap 73 can be swung down to permit the attendant to reach into the chamber and for example pass a food tray into or out of the chamber 38.

If desired, the main frame can be constructed differently from the main frame 22 shown in the drawings. For example, the main frame 22 can take the form of a central upright with a spider-like structure connected to its upper end by which the envelope can be suspended. Alternatively, a spider-like structure, suspended from the ceiling of the room, can suspend the envelope.

By way of example, not limitation, the dimensions of the isolation roomette 20 can be as follows: length, ten feet; width, five and one-half feet; height, six and onehalf feet; the subframe 23, two and one-half feet by two and one-half feet, and the door 42 three feet wide. The filters 51 and 56' have pore sizes of about five microns.

Other embodiments and modification of this invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included within its scope as best defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable isolation roomette, comprising: a frame having four uprights to form its corners and structural members to interconnect the upper ends of said uprights, a first envelope having walls, a ceiling and a floor joined to seal off the inside from the outside of said first envelope, at least the upper portion of said envelope being composed of transparent plastic film material, means for suspending said envelope within said frame to provide a generally box-like chamber, said frame and envelope being sufficiently large to accommodate a hospital bed to permit an adult attendant to walk around inside said envelope, one wall of said envelope having an access door, said access door being sufficiently large so that a hospital bed can be rolled into said envelope, at second relatively small envelope appended to said first envelope, a first portion of said access door being positioned adjacent the second envelope to close off the inside from the outside of the first envelope, said first portion forming a common wall between the first and second envelopes and being separately movable for access between the first and second envelopes, said second envelope being large enough to accommodate an adult attendant, a door in a wall portion of said second envelope, and means for sealably connecting each door to its respective first and second envelopes.

2. A portable isolation roomette, comprising: a frame comprising a main frame and a subframe, said main frame having upright means and structural members connected to only the upper ends of said upright means so that a hospital bed can be rolled into and out of the confines of said main frame, said subframe having upright means, second structural members to interconnect the upper ends of said upright means, a first envelope suspended by said main frame, a second envelope having three connected walls joined to a ceiling and a floor, said second envelope being suspended by said subframe, said second envelope having door means for access between the inside and the outside of said second envelope, common door means formed of a portion of a wall of the first envelope and positioned between said first and second envelopes, said common door means forming a fourth wall for the second envelope, said first envelope being sufficiently large to accommodate a hospital bed and an adult attendant, said second envelope being sufficiently large to accommodate an adult attendant, and another door means in said first envelope through which a hospital bed can be rolled into said first envelope.

3. A portable isolation roomette, comprising: a frame, a subframe appended to the exterior of said frame, a first envelope having four walls, a ceiling and a floor sealably connected, said first envelope being suspended within said frame, a second envelope having one open wall, and three closed walls, a ceiling and a floor sealably connected, said second envelope being suspended within said subframe adjacent the first envelope with at least a portion of one of the walls of the first envelope closing the open wall of the second envelope and forming a common wall portion between the envelopes, means for enabling entry of an adult attendant into said second envelope, means in said common wall portion for enabling passage of the adult attendant between said first and second envelopes with substantially no transfer of air between the envelopes, spaced apart openings in said first envelope, filtering means disposed across each of said openings, means for forcing 5 6 fresh air into said first envelope through one of said filter- 3,139,948 7/ 1964 Rorden 18246 ing means, and means for withdrawing spent air from the 3,162,920 12/1964 Durham 1351 first envelope through the other of Sflld filtering means. FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited 5 17,156 7/ 1906 Great Britain. UNITED STATES PATENTS 177,592 12/ 1961 Sweden.

684,086 10/1901 McCall 135 1 OTHER REFERENCES 2,200,902 5/ 1940 Solomon 182-108 Hettrick Mfg. Co., 1931, p. 8.

2,664,890 1/1954 Wallace 128-191 2,847,017 8/1958 Drago 135-3 10 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,345,996 October 10, 1967 Max S. Sadove et al.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 53, strike out "common"; column 3, line 44, for "mats" read mat lines 59 and 60, for "which serevs as a doorway between the chambers 38 and 41." read through the opening in the front wall 36 after the portions 42 and 42 have been removed from the plane of the wall.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of October 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer 

1. A PORTABLE ISOLATION ROOMETTE, COMPRISING: A FRAME HAVING FOUR UPRIGHTS TO FORM ITS CORNERS AND STRUCTURAL MEMBERS TO INTERCONNECT THE UPPER END OF SAID UPRIGHTS, A FIRST ENVELOPE HAVING WALLS, A CEILING AND A FLOOR JOINED TO SEAL OFF THE INSIDE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID FIRST ENVELOPE, AT LEAST THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID ENVELOPE BEING COMPOSED OF TRANSPARENT PLASTIC FILM MATERIAL, MEANS FOR SUSPENDING SAID ENVELOPE WITHIN SAID FRAME TO PROVIDE A GENERALLY BOX-LIKE CHAMBER, SAID FRAME AND EVELOPE BEING SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO ACCOMMODATE A HOSPITAL BED TO PERMIT AN ADULT ATTENDANT TO WALK AROUND INSIDE SAID ENVELOPE, ONE WALL OF SAID ENVELOPE HAVING AN ACCESS DOOR, SAID ACCESS DOOR BEING SUFFICIENTLY LARGE SO THAT A HOSPITAL BED CAN BE ROLLED INTO SAID ENVELOPE, A SECOND RELATIVELY SMALL ENVELOPE APPENDED TO SAID FIRST ENVELOPE, A FIRST PORTION OF SAID ACCESS DOOR BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT THE SECOND ENVELOPE TO CLOSE OFF THE INSIDE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE FIRST ENVELOPE, SAID FIRST PORTION FORMING A COMMON WALL BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND ENVELOPES AND BEING SEPARATELY MOVABLE FOR ACCESS BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND ENVELOPES, SAID SECOND ENVELOPE BEING LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE AND ADULT ATTENDANT, A DOOR IN A WALL PORTION OF SAID SECOND ENVELOPE, AND MEANS FOR SEALABLY CONNECTING EACH DOOR TO ITS RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND ENVELOPES. 